Should I lager or not?

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Stevoster

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Howdy,

Just about to stick on an extract kit (Muntens Gold Continental Pilsner) and I thought it was a lager but the instructions say to place in a warm area for primary fermentation then afer bottling to place in a warm area again for 2 days before moving to a cool place for at least 21 days. Does this make sense? I thought that for a lager I'd have to put the whole lot in the fridge for primary and secondary? Also, when they say "cool place" do they mean fridge? Circa 4 degrees celcius?

Speedy response greatly appreciated - just finished bottling 2 stout batches (one choc one plain) and want to get the next two batches down this evening.

Thanks!!
Steve.
 
True lagers are fermented at about 10c until completion and then racked to secondary and lagered for weeks to months at 1 to 2c.
Bottling will make you ramp up the temperture as soon as you bottle to allow carbonation to take place in the bottle.
 
I don't think that kit uses lager yeast. You can try to keep it on the cool side (low 60s maybe, depending on the yeast). But it won't ferment in your fridge.

Also, two days bottling in warm temp, then move to cool for three weeks? I don't think that will carbonate.
 
Most kit beers actually don't really contain lager yeast. Since most kits are for beginners and most beginners haven't progressed in the hobby enough to have a dedicated fridge in order to lager. So they provide a clean neutal ale yeast.

If it was lager yeast it wouldn't say ferment warm. So don't lager it.
 
Hi guys,

Big thanks for the info here. I decided to put down two batches of ale instead (one with grated ginger and one plain) and keep the "lager" for later. I reckon I'll treat the lager as a regular ale kit except that once it has bottle conditioned for a few weeks I might stick it in a fridge. Actually, scrap that, probably no point sticking it in fridge at that stage as it will pause the beer developing any further?

By the by I had a fantastic weekend of brewing just there - the best part was this batch of IPA that I bottled on September 1st 2008 which has been pretty foul and undrinkable ever since. I misused a brewbelt and it was fermenting at 25 degrees celcius for a few days in primary. I had one last taste before I poured it down drain to free up some bottles and it is miraculously delicious!! Just had to share that.

Thanks again,
Steve.
 
Most kit beers actually don't really contain lager yeast. Since most kits are for beginners and most beginners haven't progressed in the hobby enough to have a dedicated fridge in order to lager. So they provide a clean neutal ale yeast.

If it was lager yeast it wouldn't say ferment warm. So don't lager it.

Here's a chance to learn a little of the lager process or at least it's principals. I would ferment, secondary, and prime at the directed temps, then maybe see if you can think of a way to lager for 4 weeks say under 40°F. It'll get you thinking about the lagering process, and what you need to do yourself to try to lager in your system.
 
Here's a chance to learn a little of the lager process or at least it's principals. I would ferment, secondary, and prime at the directed temps, then maybe see if you can think of a way to lager for 4 weeks say under 40°F. It'll get you thinking about the lagering process, and what you need to do yourself to try to lager in your system.

But the problem with that is that the temps for lager yeasts are much lower than that of ale yeast. In many cases the top end of the lager strain is still within the dormancy range of the Ale yeast. So basically trying to ferment/lager a beer with an ale yeast strain, at lager temps will will result in nothing but dormant yeasts doing nothing.
 
But the problem with that is that the temps for lager yeasts are much lower than that of ale yeast. In many cases the top end of the lager strain is still within the dormancy range of the Ale yeast. So basically trying to ferment/lager a beer with an ale yeast strain, at lager temps will will result in nothing but dormant yeasts doing nothing.


I mean lager in the spirit of cold conditioning once the yeast has done their work at ale temps. Lager yeasts are dormant at lagering temps too. Are they not?
 
They are not necessarily dormant. They just don't attenuate as quickly causing for the longer fermentation time. This is why lager beers call for a higher yeast pitching rate. When you lager, the recipe typically calls for more lager yeast so you get the attenuation that you are looking for. They also take longer since the yeast metabolize the sugars slower which is also why lager recipes call for more yeast.

There is also the possibility that I am 100% wrong too :p
 
Howdy,

Just about to stick on an extract kit (Muntens Gold Continental Pilsner) and I thought it was a lager but the instructions say to place in a warm area for primary fermentation then afer bottling to place in a warm area again for 2 days before moving to a cool place for at least 21 days. Does this make sense? I thought that for a lager I'd have to put the whole lot in the fridge for primary and secondary? Also, when they say "cool place" do they mean fridge? Circa 4 degrees celcius?

Speedy response greatly appreciated - just finished bottling 2 stout batches (one choc one plain) and want to get the next two batches down this evening.

Thanks!!
Steve.
Not to speedy, but a response anyway. To properly accomplish a lager, one must have two dedicated refidgerators or freezers with controllers. One for primary, and one for lagering.
 
Hey, I have a dedicated fridge but I'm not sure how accurate the thermostat is - I'm guessing it is around 2-3 degrees celcius. Does it need to be more precise than this?
 
Hey, I have a dedicated fridge but I'm not sure how accurate the thermostat is - I'm guessing it is around 2-3 degrees celcius. Does it need to be more precise than this?

You know, they were lagering in caves, and cellars not too many decades ago, and many of us ghetto lager in our garages relying on only ambient temps (and I won an honorable mention for one of those.)

This isn't nuclear physics, it's making beer. You only need to be precise if you are particularly anal...but otherwise, cold + lager yeast = Beer. ;)
 
This isn't nuclear physics, it's making beer. You only need to be precise if you are particularly anal...but otherwise, cold + lager yeast = Beer. ;)

And this is why I love brewing! It seems almost difficult to ruin a brew once everything is clean.
 
So for a total beginner here, is it correct to sum up and say that if your kit comes with "Lager" yeast, then you should ferment at a low temp, and if it comes with "Ale" yeast you should ferment at normal temps?

Presumably you just follow the directions that come with it, but I haven't found a place where you can see those ahead of time. We don't have extra fridge room (or a garage), so I don't want to buy a kit we won't be able to make--that would break my heart!
 
So for a total beginner here, is it correct to sum up and say that if your kit comes with "Lager" yeast, then you should ferment at a low temp, and if it comes with "Ale" yeast you should ferment at normal temps?

Presumably you just follow the directions that come with it, but I haven't found a place where you can see those ahead of time. We don't have extra fridge room (or a garage), so I don't want to buy a kit we won't be able to make--that would break my heart!

You would be correct in your assumption. If you dont have a temperature controlled area in your house then you need to stick with ale recipes until you do. Otherwise your beers will come out poorly (at least the lager beers).

I actually just got my temp controlled place set up. I got an old fridge off of craigslist and bought a temperature control gauge from midwest brewer for about $75. For that small investment I can now brew a lot more beers than I ever could without this. Aside from a bigger/nicer brew pot, a fermentation control area is the best thing to invest in for starting to brew IMO. :mug:
 
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